Super Easy Child's Apron

My son loves to play with flour. All he needs are a few containers, a spoon and about a cup of flour and he is entertained for sometimes up to an hour. The only problem was that I had to wrap him in an adult apron which didn't really work too well (and wasn't very cute). So I decided to make him his own.


We went shopping for fabric and he picked out some Lightning McQueen fabric from the movie Cars (he is in love with all things Lightning McQueen).

I'm sure there are a ton of tutorials out there for child aprons, but here's how I made mine (I was going for super easy!). You only need about a half a yard of fabric and 2 packages of double fold bias tape (I used 1").

I folded my fabric in half and then cut out my basic shape. The length of my apron (which fits my 3 year old) from top to bottom is 20". The bottom is about 17" across and the top is about 5 1/2" across. The armholes are about 9" long. The beauty of an apron, though, is that size doesn't have to be perfect, so don't get too hung up on the measurements.

Notice I did not make the armholes rounded. This makes it easier for sewing the bias along on the edges (remember, I'm going for super easy, here!). (Sorry about my un-ironed fabric, but my iron and I were in a fight that day. We've since reconciled.)


Next (after you've pressed your bias tape), begin pinning it to your apron. Start by pinning a small piece across the very top.



Then, leave about 14" of slack that will make up one of the ties around the neck and begin pinning along the side of your apron.


Turn the corner at the armhole (easy to do since I didn't round the armhole).


Depending on how comfortable you are with bias tape, you can actually wrap all the way around your apron finishing with 14" of slack to make the other tie for the neck. I however, cut the bias tape when I got to the bottom since it was easier for me to pin and sew it without having to round the corner.


Here's what it will look like once you have it all pinned.


Now cut a piece of your bias tape that is about 42" long. Pin it across the chest of the apron (I just sort of eyeballed where it would look good) leaving 14" of slack on either side. These will be the ties around the waist. I really like the detail it adds to the apron!


You could also add a pocket if you are so inclined, but since I was trying to make the world's simplest apron I opted to leave the pocket off. Besides, I didn't really want my child to have a pocket to put flour, paint, cookie dough, etc. in!

Now that you have the whole thing pinned, it will look like this...


Now you're ready to begin sewing. Start with the left neck tie. You'll want to open up your bias tape, fold it down about 1/2 an inch...


and then close it back up before you begin sewing (make sure to do this with all of the ties).

Sew all around the apron, then across the top, then across the waist ties and chest. And that's it! I told you it was super easy!



He's very proud of his apron and has already informed Daddy that he will now be helping him grill. Too cute!


And here's how it looks from the back...


And there you have it. Super cute, super functional, and SUPER easy! Let me know if you try one for your budding chef, messy little one, or future artist.

As always, please only use this pattern to make aprons for your own personal use, not for resale. Thanks!


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It's So Very Creative Monday

Happy Mother's Day!

In honor of MY Mother (I love you!) and ALL mothers...



My Mother

Who fed me from her gentle breast
And hushed me in her arms to rest,
And on my cheek sweet kisses pressed?
My mother.
When sleep forsook my open eye,
Who was it sung sweet lullaby
And rocked me that I should not cry?
My mother.
Who sat and watched my infant head
When sleeping in my cradle bed,
And tears of sweet affection shed?
My mother.
When pain and sickness made me cry,
Who gazed upon my heavy eye
And wept, for fear that I should die?
My mother.
Who ran to help me when I fell
And would some pretty story tell,
Or kiss the part to make it well?
My mother.
Who taught my infant lips to pray,
To love God's holy word and day,
And walk in wisdom's pleasant way?
My mother.
And can I ever cease to be
Affectionate and kind to thee
Who wast so very kind to me,-
My mother
Oh no, the thought I cannot bear;
And if God please my life to spare
I hope I shall reward thy care,
My mother.
When thou art feeble, old and gray,
My healthy arm shall be thy stay,
And I will soothe thy pains away,
My mother
And when I see thee hang thy head,
'Twill be my turn to watch thy bed,
And tears of sweet affection shed,-
My mother.

by Jane Taylor

Future Project Friday #3

For our third installment of FUTURE PROJECT FRIDAY, I'm featuring this clever idea from Primitive and Proper. She uses old sheet music to make these blocks with the word "salut" stenciled on them (though you could stencil them with any word that fit your room). You can find the tutorial here. While you're there, check out the rest of her blog. I am IN LOVE with all of her furniture rehabs! I spent about an hour the other day looking through her blog at all of the amazing pieces she has refinished, painted, re-stained, etc... Go check her out and you might just find a new blog to follow (I did!)!

As you may recall, I'm planning a couple of room redos this summer. One of the rooms I'm going to ambitiously tackle is my formal living/dining room (which also doubles as guest room and craft room). Anyway, I think this would be PERFECT over the piano. So even though this is the third project I've featured on FUTURE PROJECT FRIDAY, I think it might actually be the first project I get to.

I hope you're enjoying my new feature. Let me know what you think. It's been fun for me to revisit my LENGTHY "To Make" list at least once a week. I know I'll never get to all of the amazing projects on there, but it's worth a shot, right?

My Not-So-Great-Mom Day

Do you ever have those days when you feel like your children are acting crazy, you're constantly saying "no" and the day is just no fun for anyone involved? I had one of those days yesterday.

Here's the really hard part about days like those...it's usually about me, not the kids. If I'm being truly honest with myself, it's usually me that's being impatient and distracted, not them misbehaving. So it's really a Not-So-Great-Mom day, rather than a Not-So-Great-Child day.

One of my goals as a parent is to be PRESENT in my children's lives (hence the title of my blog). But on those Not-So-Great-Mom days, I'm NOT being present and it's sometimes hard to turn those days around. Usually if I just recognize that it's me and not the kids, I can change my attitude and turn the day around. But sometimes it's easier said than done. Yesterday it was not so easy. My funk remained until I left for my biweekly yoga class (thank goodness for yoga!).

But today is a new day and we as mothers are entitled to an off day every now and then (and a day off would be nice, too!).

Here's a question for all of you moms out there; how to you recover from your Not-So-Great-Mom days?

Backyard Redo (in progress)

Remember my plan to makeover my backyard patio in the spirit of Better Homes and Gardens? Well it's still a work in progress. I've been doing little projects here and there and I'm already feeling so much better about it. The impetus for this makeover was my No-Fly-Away Tablecloth that I made out of a shower curtain. I am happy to report that it works beautifully and I still LOVE the bright, fun flowers.


So next on my list was an offset umbrella to provide some relief from the Texas sun. I found one at Hayneedle.com. It was only $100 with FREE shipping! What a deal! The stepping stones used to weigh down the umbrella legs were just too boring for words, so I bought a bunch of plants and turned it in to a little potted garden.



My next job was to find something cute and weather resistant to house all of the outdoor toys that collect in and around my new "oasis." I found this cute, rubber bin at Garden Ridge for $7.


I simply drilled some drainage holes in the bottom and voila! Unsightly toys are now tucked away...out of sight.

(Ok, so maybe we had more trucks than I had realized and might need to make another run to Garden Ridge for a second bin.)

Finally, now that I put plants in all of my pots that had just been sitting empty, full of dirt, my children no longer had anywhere to dig. So I bought a couple of inexpensive pots (also at Garden Ridge), drilled drainage holes and filled them with dirt. Now my kids can help me "garden" without actually digging in my flowers.



So there you have it. Not Better Homes and Gardens yet, but I'm working on it!


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Weekend Wrap-Up with I Heart Naptime

End Table Redo

To coin a phrase from The Shabby Nest, I have Design ADD! Go here to find out if you too suffer from this disorder. I have only recently been struck with this disorder but it has completely turned my house upside down.

Allow me to explain. We moved in to our house 2 weeks before my son was born. As you can imagine, we didn't get much decorating done before my son's arrival. The only room in the house that was complete before my son's birth was the nursery (thankfully!). By the time he got old enough that I wasn't napping at every opportunity I had and I finally started feeling like I had enough energy to begin decorating my home...I got pregnant again. Now that both children are sleeping through the night and napping at the same time in the afternoon (miraculously!), I am redecorating like crazy.

I can't stop thinking about paint colors and accessories and what I still have packed in boxes in the garage that would look perfect on top of that armoire... So the other night as I lay in bed thinking of how I was going to redecorate my ENTIRE house, I watched as the clock went from 11:00p to 12:30a to 1:30a and I finally got up at 1:40a. I figured I'd do a little picking up around the house and then crawl back in to bed to fall soundly asleep. Somehow, however, I found myself deciding that I HAD to repaint an end table that houses some of my children's books. That's right, at 1:40 in the morning this table was taunting me and I was powerless against it.



There was nothing WRONG with the way it looked, it just had no style, nothing to offer, it merely served it's purpose of holding books. But I decided it had to be painted (at 1:40 in the morning!). So I got out some paint from a previous project and got to work.


Because it was nearly 2a, I didn't even bother to take all of the books off the shelves (nor did I bother to paint the entire interior...only the part that would show). Also, since it was nearly 2a, I didn't bother to put anything under the feet so I didn't actually finish painting it that night.


Feeling good about my victory over this little cabinet, I returned to bed and eventually fell asleep. But I quickly returned to my project (during nap time) the next day to finish it and chalk up one win for my redecorating spirit. So I took my little cabinet outside, painted the feet and then used a stain (again from a previous project) to add a little dimension to the piece. I simply wiped on some stain with a rag and then wiped it off (making sure to go with the grain).

Here's how it looked after one coat of stain...


And after the second...


So it was a small victory, but I am happy with the outcome. I think it actually looks like it belongs there now, not that it was placed there merely for is functionality.






Now on to the Master Bedroom (I have FINALLY found the right shade of green for the walls after 2 failed attempts). Stay tuned for that redo coming soon!


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Future Project Friday #2

Well, it's that time again. Every Friday I am going to share a project that has been added to my "To Make" list. I know I will probably never have enough time to make everything on my list, but it's fun to have a bunch of projects to pick from when I have nothing better to do and I'm looking to start something new (like that ever happens!).

This weeks Future Project is the Domesticated Skirt from Sew a Straight Line.



This skirt is GENIUS and SO cute! It's reversible so you can just flip it around for a new look (or if you get sweet potatoes sneezed all over you!).

It seems really simple to sew, too (which is a must if I'm ever going to make my way through my "To Make" list).

So check out the blog, check out the tutorial and maybe add this project to your "To Make" list. If you get to it before I do, let me know how it turns out!